UW-Green Bay, closed Monday in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, will formally celebrate the life and work of the late civil rights leader with an on-campus program on Friday, Jan. 25. The event begins at noon in the Union's Phoenix Room. Featured speaker is Erin Gruwell (see following item), acclaimed for her "teaching tolerance" message. Program participants will be invited to share in a birthday cake and add messages of peace to a graffiti board. The sponsoring UW-Green Bay Office of Student Life will distribute its fourth annual "Hate-Free Zone" mini-poster. A light lunch will be provided.

The Office of Student Life invites you to donate new school supplies to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pencils, erasers, washable magic markers, glue sticks and other supplies will be donated to an area school. You can drop off donations at the office in University Union 153 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, or bring them to either of the two presentations by "tolerance" teacher Erin Gruwell, at noon or 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25, in the Phoenix Rooms. The donation deadline is Jan. 30.

UW-Green Bay is one of the organizing agencies behind the 7th annual community celebration, "Rekindling the Dream." The event is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 19, at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Building 3. The number for information for that program is 465-2738 during normal business hours today and Friday.

UW-Green Bay's Weidner Center remains among the top-grossing theatres of its size, nationwide. The center took in $7.5 million on 2001 attendance of 193,064. A Top 10 list published recently by Billboard magazine had the Weidner in the company of theatres located in much larger urban areas, including:

— Atlanta (Fox Theatre, capacity 4,600)
— Denver
— Detroit
— Green Bay (Weidner Center, capacity 2,000)
— Indianapolis
— New York City
— Rosemont, Ill.
— Wallingford, Conn.

Plenty of opportunities to see the UW-Green Bay women's basketball team (10-5, 4-0 Horizon League) in action over the next 10 days at the Phoenix Sports Center. The Phoenix will open the homestand tonight (Jan. 17), and close it Jan. 26 vs. archrival UW-Milwaukee. The schedule:

— Thursday, Jan. 17, 7 p.m. vs. Detroit Mercy
— Saturday, Jan. 19, 7 p.m. vs. Cleveland State (note evening start)
— Monday, Jan. 21, 7 p.m. vs. Youngstown State
— Saturday, Jan. 26, 3 p.m. vs. UW-Milwaukee

A dozen UW-Green Bay music students will present an honors recital at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, in Fort Howard Hall of the Weidner Center. The event is free and open to the public. Students are selected for the honors recital on the basis of their performance before a faculty jury at the close of the fall semester. The list of performers: Rachael Verhaagh, Green Bay, pianist and soprano soloist; Kathleen Covi, Suamico, mezzo soprano; Sarah Danek, South Milwaukee, flute; Jessica Heller, Grafton, soprano; A.J. Kluth, Green Bay, saxophone; Christopher Lambert, Green Bay, guitar; Russell Reuter, Green Bay, piano; Kelly Shoemaker, Menomonee Falls, soprano; Ellen Simon, Fond du Lac, percussion; David Viste, Green Bay, clarinet; Andrea Wiltzius, Kohler, soprano; and Sarah Zickert, Elkhart Lake, piano.

This year's UW-Green Bay Student Honors Recital involves the greatest number of student recitalists (twelve) in recent memory. According to music faculty, it's all talent. Prof. Thomas Pfotenhauer, who coordinates the honors recital, notes that excellent jury performances resulted in an unusually high number of recital selections this year.

The question? What did UW-Green Bay students, faculty and staff achieve at the region III American College Theater Festival Jan. 9-13 in Evansville, Ind.? The University's production of "Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls" was one of six from a five-state region chosen to compete for the opportunity to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington, and while it didn't get the nod, it did come home with the coveted Golden Handtruck award. "It's perhaps the best recognition that a production can hope for because the entire company earns it," says Theatre Chair Laura Riddle. The award, selected by the house staff — union members all — is for the best technical work and most professionalism with a production's load-in and load-out. Riddle singled out for credit Technical Director R. Michael Ingraham, who coordinates the entire process. The award is an actual gold-painted handtruck. "We'll proudly display it," says Riddle.

Last spring's production of "Twelfth Night" earned an ACTF Award of Merit for Laura Riddle's direction and for the entire design team, including Riddle for concept, and Professors Jeffrey Entwistle for scenic design, Kaoime Malloy for costumes and R. Michael Ingraham for lighting design and technical direction. Receiving an Award of Merit for excellence in stage management was Briana Fahey for her work on "Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls." Fahey also has been nominated for the Kennedy Center stage management competition, a first for UW-Green Bay.

Todd Dively made it to the "sweet 16" in the Irene Ryan Scholarship Acting competition at ACTF. He and Shayne Steliga made it into the second round, which reduced the pool of 350 to 40, and Dively went on to become one of the 16 regional finalists. The five UW-Green Bay students nominated to compete included Sunam Ellis, Eric Lindahl and Steven Marzolf. Riddle says just being selected for the competition by independent jurors is a significant honor.

The magnitude of the state's budget deficit is coming into focus. A report this week by the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau pegs the number at $1.1 billion for the current two-year period ending in June 2003. That's a little lower than previous high-side estimates, but still likely to require state agencies to make significant spending adjustments in the second year of the biennium (FY 03, which starts July 1). Governor Scott McCallum is expected to address the Legislature concerning the budget situation at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22.

Flags flew at half staff on campus and around the state last week for Green Bay native John W. Reynolds, a former Wisconsin governor and federal court judge. Reynolds died Jan. 6 in Milwaukee at the age of 80. He served a single term as Wisconsin governor in the early 1960s. Among his actions as governor: He endorsed preliminary planning for his hometown's new university and in 1964 appointed a three-member site selection committee. The legislative act creating UW-Green Bay was eventually signed by Reynolds' successor, Warren Knowles, on Sept. 1, 1965.

Tom Lyon, chief executive officer of Shawano-based Cooperative Resources International, has announced he will retire from that company effective March 1. Lyon is a former president of the UW System Board of Regents. He headed 21st Century Genetics and later the Cooperative, which today has three subsidiaries: a cattle-breeding division called Genex Cooperative Inc., a dairy records co-op called AgSource Cooperative Services, and a livestock marketing cooperative called Central Livestock Association.

The Academic Affairs Office announces several personnel changes effective for January 2002 and the start of the second semester. Please amend your directories and listings:

— Humanistic Studies, Chair: now Brian Sutton (was David Galaty)
— Composition Program, Director: Carl Battaglia (was Brian Sutton)
— English, Acting Chair: Catherine Henze (was Brian Sutton)

Fred Gegere, facilities repair worker for the maintenance department, has announced his retirement effective the last day of January. Facilities Management invites you to a farewell gathering on Wednesday, Jan. 30, from 12:45 to 2 p.m in Mary Ann Cofrin Hall Room 301 (Just off the elevator). Please join them in congratulating Fred on his retirement and thanking him for over 30 years of dedicated service.

Most on campus have already received the notice, but here's a posting for other LOG readers: Facilities Management plans a farewell sendoff on Thursday, Jan. 31, for two newly minted retirees: financial specialist Sharon Dyce and facilities repair specialist Fred Gegere. The party is at 3:30 p.m. at Highland Howie's Pub & Grill. Gift donations can be forwarded to Pam Kohlmeyer.

Here's another one, already posted but worth a reminder here: After 30 years of service, Art Cornelius, currently director of the university Mail Center, is calling it quits. His farewell party is 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at Highland Howie's. Jeanne DeGroot is the gift coordinator.

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Alumni Association has added its name to the list of donors for Mary Ann Cofrin Hall. President Pam Stoll has announced a pledge of $10,000 to "help build the future." The organization made the decision after board members had an opportunity to tour the new building. "We were amazed — and a little jealous," said Stoll. A plaque acknowledging the gift will be mounted outside a classroom in Mary Ann Cofrin Hall.

Sheila Blackman, assistant director of sports information, and members of the women's basketball staff earned nice recognition recently when the UW-Green Bay women's basketball media guide was listed among the "12 Best Covers" in the nation by Women'sCollegeHoops.com in the site's first annual media guide awards. Their project has drawn praise for pushing the envelope with a distinctive cover design.

Prof. Jerry Dell and Lecturer Kristina Rothe, both Communication and the Arts, each have several photographs included in Wisconsin Then and Now: The Wisconsin Sesquicentennial Rephotography Project, published late in 2001 by University of Wisconsin Press. The two were among 18 photographers selected to participate in a year-long State Historical Society of Wisconsin project in which the photographers chose images from the Historical Society's archives and then "rephotographed" the scene or a contemporary parallel. Displays of the resulting pairs of photos toured the state during the 1998 sesquicentennial. The 20th century photographers' images became part of the permanent Historical Society collection.

Heroics by Kelly Franz, Business and Finance, ended what is believed to be one of the longest men's basketball games in the long history of Green Bay Park and Recreation league play on Wednesday, Jan. 9. Franz sank a contested, running three-pointer at the buzzer to give his Pump Room team a 73-72 victory in six overtimes.

Prof. Regan Gurung, Human Development, has been invited to give two presentations at the Midwest Institute for Students and Teachers of Psychology, March 1 and 2 at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Ill. The topics are: "They're all in it Together: Designing Group Presentation Assignments" and "Going Beyond Content: Enhancing Understanding in Large Classes."

Prof. John Stoll, Public and Environmental Affairs, and chair of the Environmental Science and Policy Graduate Program, published "Estimating Economic Benefits of Cleaning Up Contaminated Sediments in Great Lakes Areas of Concern" with Richard C. Bishop and J. Philip Keillor. Publication was by the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute.

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